NEW HAVEN, Conn. â€" Western New England College men’s soccer coach Erin Sullivan knew his team was going to have a tough match against Albertus Magnus College despite the Falcons not having a winning record.

Sullivan’s assessment was correct as WNEC overcame a slow start before pulling away for a 4-1 victory over Albertus on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 3) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match.

Senior midfielder Scott Rogers (Middlefield, CT) and freshman defender Nick Zarka (Farmington, CT) made a successful return to their home state by both compiling a goal and assist to lead Western New England College.

Both teams have enjoyed a fierce rivalry over the years and this was another physical match.

Albertus took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute before Rogers knotted the contest with an assist from Zarka in the 35th minute. Zarka then scored an unassisted goal 3:07 later to give the Golden Bears a 2-1 lead at intermission.

Western New England College put the game away with goals by sophomore forward Dan Hare (Staatsburg, NY) and sophomore defender Jim Maples (Pleasant Valley, NY) in the 52nd and 62nd minutes, respectively. Rogers and senior midfielder Tim Larocca (East Longmeadow, MA) had the assists on Hare’s goal.

Western New England College had a 20-6 advantage in shots and 6-2 edge in corner kicks.

The Golden Bears raise their record to 7-4-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference. The Falcons fall to 2-8-1 and 1-3.